


Time Warp

by Beezarre (Dibee)



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Attempt at Humor, F/F, First Dates, Fluff, Meddling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-09
Updated: 2017-06-09
Packaged: 2018-10-16 22:44:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10581030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dibee/pseuds/Beezarre
Summary: Eleven is looking for Osgood and lands at Kate's, who has no idea why he's looking for her there. It takes him another few tries to finally find the right time, accidentally meddling in their relationship in the process





	1. Ruining the violets

**Author's Note:**

> In which Eleven lands in a flowerbed.
> 
> (I wasn't sure which Doctor to pick at first, but Eleven's clumsiness was a godsend!)

Kate took a deep breath, looking around her garden. She had been neglecting it a bit and it showed, but she had managed to undo most of the damage, and nature would, hopefully, do the rest.

As she was about to allow herself a break before tackling the ever-growing invasive ivy -she had kept that for last, she knew she would have to stop before it was over anyway-, she heard a very characteristic sound, and sighed. Turning around, she was not that surprised to find a blue police box in front of her. Right on her violets. Well, there was not much she could do for them now.

Getting up, her hands decisively in the pockets of her overalls, she stared at the door until it opened.

“Ah, Kate, good, you have some...” he brushed his hand past his nose, and, as she mirrored the gesture, she put more soil on her face than she was meant to remove.

“Ah, no, well, hi!” He extended his hand, then retracted it as she did the same, realising that her gloves were not entirely sanitary.

“Gardening, eh, nice, very nice, are those violets?” He pointed out a group of bright yellow flowers next to her.

“No, you landed on them.” She replied, half amused and half annoyed, as was often the case with the Doctor.

“Oops.” He poked at a few flowers that were barely peeking out from under the Tardis. They fell off. Kate rolled her eyes.

“I assume you didn’t come just to ruin the violets.” She started, adding to herself ‘or the subsequent date’.

“No, no, I was actually looking for Osgood!” He said with a big smile.

“Right.” Kate replied, the blush on her cheek partially hidden under some soil traces. “And why would you... come here?” She asked.

“Ah.” The doctor said. It wasn’t an enthusiastic ‘ah’. More like an ‘I messed up and I have no idea how to fix this’ ‘ah’. One he’d have to explain so Kate would stop looking at him like this, because it made him nervous, and he didn’t like it.

“I guess... I got the wrong address!” He said, sounding proud of himself for fixing things up.

“And that’s why you weren’t surprised that I was there, tending to flowers you immediately squashed.” Her no-nonsense response threw him off his thought process.

“Easy mistake!” He replied with a forced smile, and a slight interrogation at the end of it.

“Osgood lives in a flat.” Kate pointed out flatly.

“Does she?” The Doctor replied, flapping his hands so much she thought he’d try and fly and land in the thyme. He might just take the meaning of ‘flowerbeds’ a little too literally if she wasn’t careful.

“Doctor...” She said in an ‘I need answers and you’re going to give them to me’ tone that was well known within UNIT.

“It’s complicated.” He mumbled, twisting his hands.

“Timey-wimey?” She offered.

“Yes! Yes! That’s it! Timey wimey!” He replied enthusiastically. Kate couldn’t quite see how his landing in her garden to find Osgood could be timey wimey although...

“Have you ever found her here?” Kate asked.

“Yes, it was raining and you wouldn’t let me in but she did.” He replied, before clapping a hand on his mouth. Kate frowned. She didn’t remember that. Maybe soon? Maybe tonight, but it wasn’t meant to rain. Or maybe...

“That’s the address you have for Osgood, isn’t it?” Kate asked. The Doctor looked at her wide eyed. His body language was betraying him, and he suspected Kate was used to reading answers from body language anyway, what with the beheadings and all.

Kate thought for a while, and the blush on her cheeks grew stronger as she did.

Suddenly they heard the door bell ring. The Doctor welcomed the interruption and followed Kate in, removing his shoes where she removed her rubber boots so as not to make things worse.

Kate opened the door and found herself face to face with a sheepish Osgood.

“Sorry, I’m early, I know, I... I can come back later, or help, or...”

Kate smiled and let her in. She had not had time to get ready, or cook, or sort out the Doctor problem, but she was happy to see her. And she looked lovely. In fact more than lovely. She looked... different, in a good way.

The Doctor was hovering behind her, looking around and trying to take everything in, frowning, picking things up and putting them down whenever Kate glared at him.

“I believe he was looking for you.” Kate gestured at the Doctor who was scrutinising a paperweight.

“Really? Why? And, why here?” Osgood looked at her, then at him, then at her again.

“Inhaler.” Kate said softly. Osgood nodded, then jumped as a large noise came from behind them.

“Very comfortable sofa, Kate.” The Doctor said. He had apparently had the bright idea of jumping on it. As he gestured, he rolled to the side and landed on the carpet, before springing back on his feet as if he hadn’t just made a fool of himself.

“Doctor? Why did you need her?” Kate asked. She needed her too, and she wanted the Doctor gone for that.

“I, er, I think I’m too early, sorry, sorry about the daisies.” He said, skipping to the door leading to the garden.

“Violets, Doctor, those were violets.” She sighed.

 

“Too early?” Osgood asked after he was gone.

“I’m not sure we want to know about that.” Kate replied. She really did, though, but she had a feeling she’d know soon enough.

“He forgot his shoes.” Osgood added, pointing at the door.

“Of course he did.” Kate sighed. “Possibly a ploy to come back later.”

“Isn’t he more likely to lose his shoes again next time?” Osgood asked. Kate nodded.

“Well as long as he doesn’t expect me to save part of my wardrobe for his shoes...” Kate looked up at Osgood with a smile, and Osgood seemed about to melt. So maybe it wasn’t as bad of a start for their date as she had anticipated.


	2. Stirring things up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kate won't let the Doctor interfere in her well-oiled preparations.

The first date had gone relatively well, considering how it had started. They had both been nervous. Kate had expected Osgood to be, but had not accounted for her own brain making her feel like a giddy adolescent. However awkward it had been at first, they had been progressively more at ease, falling back into their comfortable work dynamic, without the usual restraint.

Osgood had started long, elaborate explanations about things she was really interested about, interrupting herself halfway with an apology, but Kate had encouraged her to continue, Osgood shooting her a shy smile and starting to talk more animatedly. Kate realised she could have listened to her all day, her passion was communicative and the conversations it started put twinkles in their eyes and made them forget their food. Osgood apologised about it later, but Kate brushed it off. Conversations like that were food for the mind, she said. And the heart, she added to herself. It had been a really long time since anyone had made her feel this good, this… free, from work and its responsibilities, which was ironic considering how closely the two of them worked.

 

What Kate had liked was that the ease they had developed around one another didn’t vanish the moment Osgood had left, but had showed at work too. Kate had found herself lingering, especially in the lab, always finding a justification, an excuse. She felt that Osgood was a bit more confident, and every hint of that had made Kate smile and led her to invite her sooner than she had originally meant. She had suddenly felt foolish, but Osgood’s enthusiastic nod and slight blush had soon made her change her mind, remembering what her father used to say to her. “There is a fine line between bold and foolish, keep your head and you’ll always be on the right side of it.”

Kate wasn’t entirely sure he’d approve of the way she was using it now, although he had supported her through her divorce, feeling perhaps a little guilty that the love for their work was what had led her marriage to the brink.

Kate looked at her watch for the umpteenth time. She was ready early this time, and felt like time had frozen around her. She went to check on her food, which had not made much progress in the past thirty seconds, when she heard someone knock on the door leading to the garden. Frowning, she walked there carefully, sighing audibly when she recognised the Doctor. She opened the door and let him in. To her surprise he remembered to take off his shoes. She made a mental note to give him his other pair back when he left.

“Kate! Hi! Is Osgood here?” He asked straight away.

“Well, she’ll be here in…” She checked her watch, stared at it to make sure it hadn’t stopped. “Soon!”

“How long has it been since my last visit?” he asked.

“A week.” Kate pointed out. She had a feeling he was still ‘early’.

“Too fast, is it?” He asked. She opened her mouth to say something but he cut her off before she could. “How long do you think?” He asked again, then, before letting her reply. “Forget that. Please. I don’t suppose you have one of your memory wipe things around, do you?” This time Kate didn’t even bother trying to answer.

“Well then, better dash!”He suddenly exclaimed. “You should keep an eye on that sauce though.” He added, gesturing towards one of the simmering pans. He walked out so fast he was already in the Tardis when she remembered his shoes. She shook her head in disbelief and went to check on the pans. 

She was still stirring when she heard the doorbell. Smiling brightly, she went to open it and was met by her favourite smile. She took Osgood’s coat and, before showing her to kitchen, pointed at the door.

“Guess who?” she grinned. “I’m going to bring them to work and put them in the black archive if he keeps doing that.” She joked, making Osgood giggle. In that moment she realised she could just live off that look on her face. It only took a few seconds for her stomach to growl and bring her back to reality.

“Shall we?” She smiled, gesturing towards the table she had had time to set and check more times than she was ready to admit. She liked order, and so did Osgood. Next time, Kate thought to herself, they could order, there was a nice chinese place just up the street!


	3. Fleeting flirting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two dates in one! (Well, parts of them) I kind of knew what I wanted to do, but it turned out harder to achieve than I thought. That's the problem when characters have a mind of their own!

Their second date had gone great. Osgood had loved the food, and complimented her. Kate had blamed her blush on the spices, although she had barely used any. Kate was over the moon, Osgood seemed to really relax. She was not entirely at ease, but she felt… freer. The lines of their work relationship were well and truly blurred, and Kate had found herself rediscovering Osgood in ways that made her want to never let go. There had been some light flirting, at least half of which had been Osgood’s doing. Kate had very nearly choked on her food at least a couple times, but she liked that side of Osgood too. Her unapologetic smile with that small wild flicker in her eyes. It made Kate weak in the knees, but luckily she had been sitting down.

As she retrieved dessert from the oven, she realised one thing. She could resist anything on this planet and beyond and stand her ground, but Osgood was making her feel… not so much insecure as out of her depth. It was both frightening and intoxicating. The one thing that frightened her most was how comfortable it was to have her close. She liked being around her in general, but standing side by side, leaning on the counter, and a myriad of other moments… She would almost think it was Osgood’s doing. She could rarely catch her eyes in those moments and was almost relieved, unsure what hers would show.

Kate had to keep herself from staring at Osgood. The way she moved made her brain freeze out of the blue. ‘Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, get a grip!’ she told herself. She would have to both control herself, and let go a little. Osgood was clearly not about to run away, there was no point in using as much restraint as she had at first. Osgood was not as confident as Kate had hoped she would be, but when she looked at Osgood next, her posture had changed somewhat. When their eyes met they each held their breath for a few seconds.

From then on, the air was charged, they clearly both felt it, tiptoeing around the obvious. Talking a lot, more freely than ever before, opening up in ways neither had in years, comfortable with just a hint of attraction that was making long winded explanations impossible. It was Osgood who noticed the time and winced. They had to get up at a reasonable time the next day. Even if neither had had an eight hour night sleep in months, they still needed some shut eye to be able to focus. To their surprise, and disappointment, a smile was the only thing they shared as Osgood left, leading Kate to hit her head on her door once it was closed, and Osgood to glare at her reflection in the rear view mirror.

  
It was almost two weeks before their next date. They had not agreed on a date, but there was a tacit understanding that the first available evening would do. Catastrophes and minor inconveniences had ruled out any possibility for well over a week, leaving them to, almost, wish for a quiet night at home. When Osgood and Kate met in the corridor, falling into step, exchanging a glance, it was all that was needed. A little nod and they each went to their car.

By the time Kate was home, she had mentally been through all the available take out in the area, and was wondering how long it would take Osgood to get there. She decided she had time for a quick shower; their day had been made more difficult by having the air conditioner work on and off all day. Kate’s office had turned into an oven, and the lab into a furnace. She was drying her hair when she heard the doorbell ring. She had not put that much thought in what she had put on, thinking she would have some time, but clearly Osgood was faster than she was. A simple blouse and skinny jeans would do.

When she opened the door, her greeting died in her throat. Osgood clearly had had time to think her outfit through; probably in her car, as she should have done, Kate realised. Other than their dates, Kate rarely saw her without her lab coat or a long coat. She had never worn anything that could lead anyone to guess how… gorgeous she looked. The fitting top had a few mathematical sentences on it that made Kate grin. She looked bloody good in it. Kate realised she still had not said anything, and had been ogling her for at least a good minute. Osgood’s eyebrow shot up with a smirk at the corner of her lips.

“Like what you’re seeing?” She asked boldly. Kate opened her mouth, closed it and stepped aside to let her in, hoping her brain could find something appropriate to say. She saw Osgood give a quick look at her outfit and a slight nod. In any other situation, Kate would have been utterly mad and the culprit would have been given a good talking to. Instead she blushed slightly before pointing to the takeaway menus she had left on the table.

Kate was not used to not being in charge, but with Osgood it did not seem like such a bad thing. It kept her from blaming herself when Osgood turned towards her when she reached the table. They were close, painfully close, and Kate knew exactly what was going to happen. She realised she still had not said a word, and thought of a way she could make up for that. She was about to close the distance between them, mirroring Osgood’s own movement, when a knock on the back door made them jump apart.

“This better not be…” Kate said in a low voice, extremely pissed off.

“Should I get the shoes?” Osgood asked. Kate considered this for a moment, before realising that it would mean asking Osgood to look through her closet, and that might not be an entirely good idea. She shook her head and headed towards the door. Sure enough, an impatient dangly giraffe was gesturing for her to open the door.

“What?” She asked crossly. The Doctor did not say anything, spotted Osgood in the background, started waving before realising she was about as cross as Kate. Ah.

“How long?” He asked.

“Two weeks.” She replied, gritting her teeth.

“Bad timing? Interrupting anything?” He asked. She shot him a Look. “Don’t answer that, don’t, don’t want to know.” He said gesturing wildly and closing his eyes. Kate rolled her eyes.

“You’re early.” Said Kate to try and put the point across.

“Really? I thought it was dinner time. You wouldn’t happen to have fish fingers?” He asked. She frowned. “Custard?” He added. She shook her head.

“Can I come in?” He asked, somewhat more politely. Kate did not reply but the look on her face spoke volumes.

“Well, maybe next time then!” He waved and all but ran to the Tardis. Kate watched as it disappeared. She wanted to make sure he would not change his mind. But he was gone, for now.

She heard Osgood walk towards her and turned. “At least he didn’t leave any sh-”. She did not get to finish her sentence, Osgood’s lips meeting hers. It took Kate more time than she was ready to admit to reply, but once she did she made sure her arms were securely wrapped around Osgood, less to bring her closer, and more to make sure she would not fall backwards in case of a dizzy spell.

Osgood was a good kisser, Kate thought, and her arms felt right around her waist. She could definitely do it all day, except she did not think UNIT officials would really appreciate her peculiar team building efforts. When they broke the kiss, they drew a breath, and shared a look.

“Food?” Kate asked, out of breath.

“In a minute.” Osgood replied, kissing her again. Kate was okay with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I don't have anything planned for the next chapter (but I plan to write one!) Let me know if there's something you'd like to see!


	4. Muddled Meddling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realise you're expecting fluff. I was expecting fluff too! Then this happened. Oops?

“Are you okay?” “What happened?”

Kate and Osgood, out of breath, looked at one another, puzzled, before looking at their phones again.

“You sent me-.” “No, you s-.”

They shared a look and exchanged phones. They had a look in their sent folder and found nothing, then shared another look. It took them a minute to realise the lab was empty. It should not have been. They had had a slow day, but not to the point that people would leave early, not that early.

They walked in and Kate’s eye got caught on a monitor that was still on.

“Lab evacuation. Take your belongings and leave.”

That message did not look like any kind of order Kate would give, but she knew her team well enough to know that they would obey even if there was any doubt because pissing her off was never a good idea.

“What the hell is this about?” Osgood whispered under her breath, her voice resounding in the empty lab.

“I don’t know, but I have a feeling someone is playing us.” Kate frowned.

“Why would they want to evacuate the lab? There was people everywhere else in the building, It seems to be just the lab.”

“Precisely.” Kate said, still frowning.

“What do you mean?” Osgood asked, puzzled.

“The lab, only the lab, is evacuated, and we both get a call for help from the other, to go to the lab.” Kate pointed out. “This sounds like a set up.” Osgood squirmed.

“What kind of set up are we talking?” Osgood asked, afraid she already knew the answer.

“Us.” Kate said without looking at her. “I think someone is trying to set us up.” She elaborated. “And I think I know who that might be, too.” She glared in mid-air.

After their first intoxicating kiss, and having spent the rest of the evening interrupting the kissing in order to eat, Osgood had left at a still reasonable hour, and neither had talked about it the next day. Or the day after that. They still worked well together, but the tension was different. Someone had picked up on that, someone who was clearly more perceptive than she had given him credit for.

“Enlighten me?” Osgood asked. She had gotten bolder, Kate noticed, in a way that made her want her even more.

“The Doctor. I think he has an agenda, and we’re part of it.”

“I don’t understand.” Osgood said, and Kate turned to face her. She was pretty sure it was the only time she had heard Osgood say that.

“I… I don’t know exactly. It’s just a feeling…” Kate was not sure she should elaborate.

“Kate, you’re a woman of science, and I’m pretty sure the lab door just locked itself, so you might as well tell me.” Osgood said, something stern in her voice. She got up from the stool she had picked along one of the benches and came to face Kate.

“The first time he came.” Kate started. “He said something odd. Well, he always does, but what he said didn’t make sense, and when I asked her looked as if I shouldn’t have heard that.”

“What did he say?”

“Well, it’s more what he didn’t say. He was looking for you, remember?” Kate asked.

“Yes, I still don’t understand why he was looking for me at your place.”

“I think that’s it, actually. I think the reason he did is because your address, in the Tardis, is listed as mine.” Kate explained, not wanting to think about the implications of that straight away. She had lost enough sleep over it already.

“Oh.” Osgood said. Kate could see her thinking, and she wished she herself could focus that well on that kind of situation. Osgood liked to hide behind numbers and formulas when things made her uncomfortable, and Kate envied her in a moment like this.

“Did he say anything else?” Osgood asked.

“Something about raining, and that I wouldn’t let him in, but you did. That’s probably the point past which he was looking for you, I’m guessing.” Kate added. Osgood nodded.

“That doesn’t explain why he’d try to sabotage our dates.” Osgood pointed out, her eyes suddenly a bit darker at the mention of dates.

“I don’t think he meant to sabotage them. I think that’s what the ‘too early’ was for. He’s trying to skip along the timeline to get to you, the you after the rainy night.”

“What does this have to do with this, though.” Osgood gestured towards the empty lab.

“If it is him, and I’m sure he’ll make us know if we’re correct eventually, he’s trying to speed things up. Or at least not slow us down. His vision of speed is relative.” Kate explained. By the look on Osgood’s face, she was starting to understand the logic. She took her phone out of her pocket and had a look at something Kate could not see.

“Weather forecast.” Osgood looked at to her. “80% chance of rain tonight.” Kate gulped. Was the Doctor meddling like this the reason he found Osgood at her place? Might just be the reason the Tardis has her address for Osgood. That would explain a lot. Why, then, did she feel disappointed?

“8.30 okay?” Kate asked. Osgood nodded curtly. Kate had a feeling the evening was not going to be in any way as pleasant as the previous one. She heard the lab door unlock, and Osgood left.

Kate was about to follow when she remembered something. They would both be there tonight. If he was going to come, them being there that way, Kate would not refuse to open to him. Or did she have to refuse in order for Osgood to go? Was this a wild goose chase? It was clearly the Doctor’s doing though. But why was he doing it?

 

Kate was pacing in her corridor, unable to contain her tension. She knew Osgood was always on time. She checked her watch, and heard the doorbell the second her watch gave her eight thirty.

She opened it straight away, startling Osgood. She hadn’t changed this time. Kate didn’t say a word and let her in. They stood awkwardly in the corridor for a few minutes, avoiding each other’s eyes.

Kate showed Osgood to the couch, asked her what she wanted to drink. They both went for a coffee, unsure how long this would take. They had had a long day, and the Doctor wasn’t making it any easier.

They spent a long time staring straight ahead, the mug of coffee warming their hands. Kate was the first to break the silence, not turning toward Osgood because she knew she couldn’t. Not yet.

“I really care about you, you know.” She started. She felt like her voice was somewhat more raw than usual. “I don’t want to mess this up.” She added. “Not just because we work wonderfully together and UNIT wouldn’t be the same without you, but I don’t want to lose that kind of… shorthand we’ve grown to have.” Kate finished.

“What do you want?” Osgood breathed out, almost aggressively.

“What do ‘you’ want?” Kate asked, turning toward Osgood. She was looking at her defiantly. Kate realised she would have to give her answer first. She had only herself to blame for that conversation.

“You.” Kat replied simply. “You.” She repeated. “All of you. But all or nothing.” She explained, a hint of pain in her voice. She couldn’t bear the idea of just being a one night stand. She had messed up enough relationships to know how important they were, and how much they were worth. To know that half of one was the ultimate recipe to failure.

There was a moment, something hung in the air, Kate was half looking at Osgood, who wasn’t quite sure where to put her eyes at that stage. Kate’s eyes were too much, the rest of her too… tempting, and her flat was so her it hurt just to be there, to know she was just there, within reach.

She got up, turning her back to Kate, hoping it would help. She had not thought it would be this hard. When Kate had pushed her away, gently, at the end of their date, she had assumed that it had all been a momentary lapse of judgment. She had seen the concern in her eyes from then.

Osgood had felt betrayed, led on even, but it was starting to dawn on her that she had misunderstood everything. That maybe Kate had felt the same way, not wanting to burn her fingers to a scalding hot fire that her relationship with her assistant would be.

But what Kate was asking was… too much. Had she asked a few weeks, or even a few months ago, Osgood would have said yes without any hesitation. Now… now she had started peering under Kate’s armor, and where she had expected to find some sort of weakness, she had found more strength, another kind that had taken her breath away.

Kate had been put out by how forward Osgood had been, mostly because she wanted to take it slow, and Osgood understood that now. She also understood that there was nothing in life, nothing, that Kate did not fully engage herself in.

Every layer of their relationship, from the first day they had worked together, was a piece of a gigantic mosaic, and Kate was the reason the colours shone as bright as they did, but, to Osgood, it was overwhelming. She was not the kind of person who just dipped a toe and dived in. It was just too much. She bit her lip and turned around slowly.

When she met Kate’s eyes, she saw everything. The concern, the caring, the doubt, the desperation, the strength, and just enough fear to make her shiver. She tried to say something but couldn’t. Kate’s eyes told her everything she wanted, needed, to know. It was all or nothing, all the facets of their relationship, but still a mosaic. And a mosaic takes a long time to build.

Osgood expected a knock on the back door anytime now. The Doctor’s timing was always horrendous, but it would be welcome right now. To Osgood’s surprise, Kate stepped forward, gently, and put her arms around her. Osgood automatically reciprocated and relaxed in the hug. None of them knew what to say, and the hug was enough. Osgood was holding Kate a little too tight, and she was playing with the tip of Osgood’s hair. It was comfortable, achingly so.

“Okay.” Osgood whispered, so low she was not sure Kate had heard. She felt Kate stop her movements, pulling back a little to look at her.

“Okay.” Osgood repeated, her voice firm, looking into Kate’s eyes. She saw a flicker of relief, of hope, of joy, and let her hands fall from her waist before going up to her neck.

She moved slowly, giving Kate time to stop her if she wanted to, and kissed her. She had meant it to be a chaste kiss, but it ended up being a lot different than what she expected. Not heated and rushed like it had been on their last date, but slow, and passionate, in a way that made her pull away sooner than she meant to to catch her breath.

“He’s not coming, is he?” Osgood said, out of breath, hearing the rain on the window.

“God, I hope not.” Kate whispered, kissing her again.

Osgood did not go home. She had fallen asleep on the sofa with Kate in her arms, and Kate had not wanted to disturb her, not wanted her to go. Not wanted to let her go.

One day, she would have to thank the Doctor. Just after slapping him. Hard.

She knew he would come back. He had all but prophesied it. And she most certainly would not open that door, that much she knew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the end of this chapter makes it look like an ending, but it's not! As you might expect, there's going to be at least two chapters following this one.


	5. All of thyme and spice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last but one chapter! In which we (well, you!) finally figure out what it had all been about!  
> Thank you for your comments!

“Kate?”

“Mmh?”

“What are you doing?” Osgood asked with a smile. They were lying down side by side in bed, still a bit out of breath.Kate’s fingers were tracing light patterns on Osgood’s skin.

“Cramming for an exam.” She grumbled. Osgood laughed.

“Are you seriously tracing the alphabet of a hostile alien species on my skin?”

“Well, it’s more fun than in my mind, and that way I can have you on my mind, too.” Kate grinned, Osgood could hear it in her voice.

She had been surprised to discover this part of her, a freer, wilder, and yet softer version of Kate, her quick wit still very much present, until Osgood kissed her, that is. After that, there better not be any crisis that required her immediate attention because she would probably have had trouble forming proper sentences, and if Osgood answered her phone in the middle of the night, people might get the wrong idea.

Both of them had been enquiring around about the betting pool. Osgood had had some luck with the shyest of scientists. Kate had just intimidated the life out of a couple new recruits. It turned out the UNIT staff had decided not to bet actual money, but chores, which they both found sensible, and therefore not reprehensible.

They had gotten in the habit of teasing them, supposedly inadvertently, without ever giving anything away. They were enjoying themselves a lot more than they should, getting bolder and bolder, knowing that it was their resolve that might give in next.

They knew that they would, at some point, end up giving it away, but they wanted time, needed time, to actually sort their relationship properly. With a reveal came questions, and they didn’t have all the answers just yet. Osgood had worried about possible regulations, and Kate had assured her that, given that she had written the large majority of them, if there was something problematic there, she could easily rewrite it. She had had a wolfish grin on her face that had made Osgood blush a little.

The one moment they had in mind was Christmas. It was customary, for some reason, to have one mistletoe in the whole of the building, in public areas. It was never at the same place twice. No one really knew who put it there. Most people had assumed it was Kate and therefore not questioned it, until two Christmas ago when she was walking deep in thought over a file she was reading and bumped into someone who hadn’t been paying attention. The scientist had blushed, apologised profusely and almost ran away. Kate had stood there, looked around, wondering what had gotten into the poor man. She had walked a couple paces before turning back, looking at the ceiling and noticing the mistletoe. They had collided right under it. She had probably scared him half to death! Not that the large majority of the staff would mind being kissed by their boss, but that would still be a scary prospect.

They would have to find a way to not make it look staged, and try and act normally the rest of the day. They weren’t entirely sure they could pull it off.

Kate had almost reached the end of the main alphabet when they heard loud knocking coming from downstairs. They exchanged a look. It had been three weeks since his little stunt, and they had started to wonder whether he would come at all. They could hear the rain on the window. Kate latched onto Osgood’s waist.

“Just one more minute.” She mumbled in the crook of her neck. Osgood laughed.

“You know I have to go! The sooner you let me go, the sooner I’ll be back.” She promised, kissing Kate’s temple as she wrapped herself into the duvet. Osgood had a feeling she would come back to bed to find Kate fast asleep and hogging all the covers. It wouldn’t be the first time! Nothing some tickling couldn’t solve.

She made her way downstairs in the dark wrapped in Kate’s bathrobe. She had familiarised herself with her universe, and she almost felt at home. She grinned when she saw the Doctor’s gangly frame gesturing at her through the window. He was drenched. She looked around quickly and found a mop, putting it by the door so he wouldn’t leave a large puddle behind.

“Osgood! Good! Right! I need your help!” He said, as if it wasn’t way past midnight, in a house that wasn’t hers. He shook his head, droplets flying everywhere. Osgood was suddenly glad she hadn’t taken her glasses with her. She waited to him to speak.

“Alright, I need you to cross reference this or… something.” He said, handing her something that looked like a thumb drive but was most likely not of human origin.

“What is it?” She asked, turning the small object around, inspecting it as well as the dim light and lack of glasses would allow.

“It’s a list of Tardis coordinates, from what I understood. All the places and times we were on Earth, the old girl and I.” He added proudly. He noticed Osgood still looked unimpressed and continued. “Someone, or a group of someones, seems to have seen all of me, all of the faces, and they’re pulling something together. The only people that I know who’ve done that so far are you lot. And I was hoping you’d manage to stalk my… other stalker.” He finished. Osgood still didn’t look over the moon with the idea of helping him.

“Couldn’t it wait until morning?” She asked slowly, a smile appearing slowly on her face. She felt more tired than she had before, but at least now she had an answer.

“It’s always morning somewhere!” He said proudly. She shook her head.

“You wouldn’t happen to have an umbrella around, by any chance?” He asked.

“It’s always sunny somewhere.” She replied.

She heard a snort behind her and saw Kate sat on the last step of the stairs. The Doctor grumbled something, turned around and ran to the Tardis. Both women were afraid he might land on some of Kate’s patches of aromatic herbs on the way. All of thyme and spice, and all that.

“Well, I guess now we have that piece of the puzzle.” Kate said, walking towards Osgood, snaking her arms around her from behind. “What did he want?” She asked, resting her chin on Osgood’s shoulder.

“Someone’s been doing some digging. He wants us, well, me, to do some digging into that.” She said. “But what he gave me can be very precious though.” She explained and, when she turned, she could see Kate’s eyes light up.

“I guess it was all worth it, then!” She grinned. She stole a kiss. “The data as well, I suppose!”

Osgood shook her head. “Weren’t you sleepy five minutes ago?” She teased.

“I was until I saw you in my bathrobe.”

“Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, let’s get you to bed!” Osgood sighed.

“That was the idea!” Kate smiled smugly. Osgood shook her head again. What had she done to deserve a woman like her?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And all that's left is the conclusion! It's written already, but it's really small so I'll let it simmer a bit, see how I can flesh it out, but it's coming!  
> Thank you for reading!


	6. Time lapse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I... may have let this conclusion simmer a little longer than planned... (aka it was already ready and I got sidetracked. Sorry!)

It was a beautiful day in the middle of summer. Kate and Osgood sat side by side at the table at the edge of the garden, the smell of lavender wafting through the air. The sudden familiar noise took them by surprise. They looked at one another and Kate dropped her forehead on Osgood’s shoulder.

“We knew it was coming.” Osgood pointed out.

“After a year I was kind of hoping he’d have forgotten.” Kate groaned, making Osgood chuckle.

“I don’t think time works that way for him.” Osgood said.

“I know, that’s the problem.” Kate sighed. “I just wonder what mess he’ll leave us with this time.” She smiled at Osgood as they heard steps coming towards them.

“Too early?” The Doctor asked tentatively in lieu of a greeting. Kate and Osgood shared a look and stared at him blankly before rolling their eyes.

“You came here.” Osgood started.

“A year ago…” Kate finished. The Doctor’s eyebrows shot up so quickly Kate was surprised when they went back in place afterwards.

“Does it mean…?” He asked.

“That I have what you asked, yes.” Osgood said. They were still seated side by side, and having him stand on the other end of the table made him feel like he was taking an exam, although he had never taken an exam before. He suddenly didn’t like the idea of taking an exam.

He looked at Osgood expectantly.

“Nothing. I couldn’t find anything. But I couldn’t even find our own tracks, so something is missing.” Osgood said. “Something important.” She added. “We can’t help if you don’t trust us.” She smiled apologetically, although her eyes didn’t quite echo the apology. The Doctor’s eyes went from her to the Tardis and back several times.

“The Tardis gave me the… thing, I didn’t…” He said quizzically. Kate looked at Osgood, at the Doctor, at the Tardis, and squinted suspiciously.

“Did the Tardis signal the oddity to you?” Kate asked.

“Yes, yes she did, why?” The Doctor replied, lost. Osgood didn’t seem to follow either.

“Would you mind checking again?” Kate asked. The Doctor went back to his beloved blue box and Kate stood up, putting one hand on Osgood shoulder, whispering in her ear.

“I’ll go get his shoes, might be the last chance we get.” She was already back when the Doctor strode back toward them.

“Nothing.” He mumbled. “Nothing.” He started pacing. “I don’t understand.” He added, flailing his arms.

“Has she done that before?” Kate asked. The Doctor’s head shot up. “Wild goose chase? Keeping you in the dark?” Kate asked again. The Doctor nodded.

“She does it all the time. Sometimes she even really turns the lights off for good measure.” He mumbled. He hated getting dressed in the dark, he couldn’t get his bow tie to look right when he couldn’t see it.

“Well, she does have a mind of her own.” Osgood said. Kate nodded.“I hate not knowing.” Osgood was almost pouting, making Kate laugh. The scientist in her agreed, but the woman realised that she wasn’t sure she really wanted to know.

The Tardis never did anything insignificant. Whatever it had all been about, them being together must have been part of some bigger picture. She looked at the Doctor and from the look in his eyes she could tell he had reached the same conclusion. She handed him his shoes. He shot her a half smile and turned around, almost sauntering back to the Tardis.

“Where are you off to next?” Kate called after him, knowing that he either couldn’t or wouldn’t tell her.

He turned toward her, shrugged and hopped in.

“Kate?” Osgood said, getting up to stand next to Kate who was leaning into the table.

“Mmh?”

“He landed on the violets again.” She said, pointing at the squished flowers. Kate buried her face in her hands. In all of time and space, there were constants, and apparently one of them was the Tardis’ dislike of violets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
